Semiautomatic adjustable support for picture-projecting machines



NOV. 1.0, 1931.' A DINA y 1,831,345

SEMIAUTOMATIC ADJSTABLR SUPPORT FOR PICTURE PROJECTING MACHINES W Hm BY a ATTORNEY A. DINA Nov. 10, 1931.

SEMIAUTOMATIC ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT FOR PICTURE PROJEGTING MACHINES Filed May 3l, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 --llll INVENTOR.

v 'w/wwf-'f @ATTORNEY Nov. 10, 1931e A. DINA SEMIAUTOMATIC ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT FOR PICTURE PROJECTING' MACHNES AFiled May s1, 1928 o :un

INVENToR.

NOV. 10, 1931. A, D|NA I 1,831,345

SEMIAUTOMATIC ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT FOR PICTURE PROJECTING MACHINES `Filed May 31, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet .4

.A INVENTOR. 1,/ ,oft-'M ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENr I OFFICE .A`I`I('USTOl DINA, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW' JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 INTERNATIONAL y PROJECTOR CORPORATION, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATIONQOF 'DELAWARE SEMIAU'IOMATIC A DTIEJ'STABLE SUPPORT FOR PICTURE-PROJECTING MACHINES Application filed May .31,

192s. serial No. 281,871.'

This invention relates 'to picture projection appended hereto, the invention itself, as to` its objects andadvantages, them/ode of its apparatus, and more particularly toan adjustable support therefor to permit the apparatus to be operated in two positions', as

forexample, for motion pictures and for still pictures. j j l l MotionV picture projection machines are frequently located at the rear of a-theatre in such position that the line of projection must extend forwardly and be inclinedfto theihorizontal by a. substantial angle. chine is to be used for theprojection of still pictures the lamp house is moved laterally to a suitable position for projecting ,the light through the stillplate instead of through the motion picture projectiomhead. In so moving the lamp house it is essential to maintain the line of projection in parallelism in order to" avoid the necessity of further adjusting the machine and focusing the images upon the screen. l A V This lnventlon *provldes a new 'and 1mproved supportwhereby the lateral nuovement of the lamp hous is facilitated and whereby the assembly is secured with eXtreme rigidity in either of its operative positions.

" L The invention further provides mechanism for relieving the lamp house support of a pori tion of the Vweight of the bracing frame during the adjustment whereby the frame is prevented from binding and otherwise interfering with the movement. By reas/on of this typev of (support there is provided a semiautomatic adjustable vsupport for projection machines. f

This is accomplished by providing a. pair of springs in a position to cooperate with the bracing frame and causing ythe springs to support the weight of said 'frame when the parts are unclamped ,for purposes of adjustment. In operative position the parts are l ycombinatie securely` clamped together whereby vibrations of the machine are prevented.

`The invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and nsof partshereinafter set forth and claimed. e

Althou h the novel features which are believed .to characteristic of ythis invention Whenthe mayso Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the bracing o.

frame showing a modified form of spring.

retainer g` Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the frame Shown in 3;

Fig. 5 is an `enlarged detail. view of the adjustable spring retainer shown in Figs.

landg.' c v Fig. 5 is a sectional view thereof.; Fig. 'Z' is a plan view showing the clamping means; Y

Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of the lamp house supporting bracket; ,n i Fig. 9 is a rear elevation thereof;

. Fig. l0 is a section taken on the line 1 0-fl() of Fig. 9; o i

Fig. ll is a rear elevation of a modified form of lamp house supporting bracket;

Fig; l2 is an end elevation thereof; Fig. 13 is a section taken on the line lr-l of Fig. ll; and

,signin is a dean View showing 'a medina `forni of adjustable spring retainer.

- Like referencecharacters denote like parts f in the several gures of the drawings.4

In the following description and in the mem er l5 having suitable supporting feet 16 and adapted to carry the various parts of the apparatus: Conduit 17 is passed' through' said base into a connection box18 from which the electrical connections to the various parts will be particularly pointed out in the claims of the apparatus are taken. A foot switch/19 r is supported by the base as the central portion thereof and includes a plunger which is adapted to be pressed downwardly by the foot of the operator to connect and disconnect motor 21 from the current supply line.

Pedestal 22 is secured to the forward part of base 15 in any suitable manner and operates as a support for the various pieces of apparatus. Pedestal lever 23 is pivotally secured to the top of pedestal 22 as by bolt 24 and is provided with a forward extension 25 by means of which the projection head 2G, upper lilm magazine 27 and lower film magazine 28 are supported. Lever 23 is provided rearwardly with vertically aligned bearings 29 to which web 30 is pivotally secured.

Lamp house base 31 is pivotally secured as by bearing to web and carrles lamp house 33 of any well known construction. A guide v rod 30a is pivotally mounted in bearings 29a of lever 23 and is secured to lamp house base 31 for maintaining the same 1n parallelism during movement thereof.

Adjusting screw 34 is rigidly Supported in bracket 35 which is secured to pedestal 22 in any desired manner as by bolts36. `Yoke 3T which is'rigidly secured to pedestal levei` 23 -contacts with collar 38 and determines the angle of projection of the machine.

` The rear supporting frame comprises a pair of verticalrods 43 secured to yoke 44 which in turn carries rod 42.

4 are in turn carried by yoke 46, said yoke being pivotally secured to the rear end of base 15 as by bearings 47. Suitable locking means controlled by lever 48 may be employed for preventing relative movement of rods /43 and bearings when desired:l Switch 50 may be carried by cross brackets 51 which are supportedfrom rods 43.

The details of construction of the lamp house supporting means and of the rear Sbracing frame are: shown more in-detail in a copending application of Augusto Dina` Serial No.,257,831, tiled February 29,1928. Only so much thereof `has been disclosed in the prese-nt specification as 1s necessary to an linderstanding of the invention thereof,-

Lamp house supporting` bracket 40, as shownmore in detail in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, comprises a pair of tubular members 41 adapted to`slide on rod 42and a split member 52 hav- 'ing its two sides suitably threaded to receive 'the clamping screw 53 4(Fig. 2) whereby the ybracket maybe securely locked in any desired position ottrod 42.

Ir In the operation of the above described apl j Vertical rods 43 are adapted to slide initubularl members 45 which paratus pivotal adjustment about bolt 24 is obtained by loosening clamping means 48 and advancing collar 38 on screw 34 by means of hand wheel 39. Pedestal lever is thus pivoted about bolt- 24 and the lamp house and projection head correspondingly moved. The lamp house may be moved transversely of the machine by sliding bearings 41 along rod 42, handle 54 being attached to an extension of web 30 for this purpose.

lYhen the lamp house is so moved, and particularly if thev machine is so adjusted as to provide a downward inclination of the line of projection. the rear supporting bracket is pivoted about bearing 4T and caused to undergo a change of length. If the movement of the lamp house causes an increase in elevation thereof `the supporting frame is raised by bearings 41 and rod 42. A sutlicient force must, therefore. be exerted upon handle 54 to raise the lamp house and to carry the weight of the rear supporting frame. Furthermore. assuming the lamp house to be in position at the left of rod 42. as viewed in Fig. 2. the entire weight of the rear supporting frame is carried from bearings 41 which are considerably otf center with respect to the center` of gravity of the frame. A moment is accordingly produced which tends to tighten rod 42 in bearings 41 and render slidinflr movement'thereof more diflicult.

In accordance with the present invention, the lateral shifting of the lamp house is facilitated by including .a 'pair of helical springs on rods 43 in such manner that' they may support the.weight of the rear frame and if desired a portion of the weight of the lamp house. Springs 55 are secured between bearing members 45 and spring retaining collars 56.

Collars 56, as shown more in detail in Figs. .5. 6 and 7 comprise an inner member 5T slidably7 mounted on rod 43 and provided at its upper end with a split member 58, the two sides of which are threaded to receive clamping screw 59 by means of which the collar may be secured to rod 43 in any `desired position. An outer member 60 is threaded upon member 57 and contacts with a suitable washer 61 which is adapted to engage the upper end of spring 55. The surface of member 60 may be suitably knurled to permit the Y same to be readily turned by-hand.

The tension of springs 55 may be regulated as desired by clamping the retaining col- I,lar in the desired position on rods 43 and then turning member 60 to obtain `a fine adjustment. Since it is desirableto employ a comparatively stiff spring in order to support the heavy weights involved` the thread- -ed outer member permits the required tension to be attained without the use of external compression means.

In order to shift the lamp house and ap'- paratus equipped with springs 55, clamping moved about pedestal 22, thereby changing member 43 is loosened whereupon the weight of the rear frame and as much of the weight of the lamp house as is desirable is supported by said springs. The weight of the rear frame is thus prevented from causing rod 42 to bind in bearings 41 and in addition the operator is not required Cto lift the entire weight of the frame when the lamp house is shifted. Since the frame commonly Weighs over 150 lbs, it is evident that this item is of considerable importance. When the lamp house is adjusted to its desired position it is clamped by tightening clamping screw 53 and lever 48 whereby further rela tive movement of the parts is prevented. After rods 43 have been clamped, springs 55 exert no further iniuence on the operation of the machine.

When it is desired to change the angle of projection, the entire apparatus is pivotally the length of the rear supporting frame by 'causing telesoping movement thereof. 1f this change is greater than that provided for fby springs 55, the retaining collar may be unclamped from rods 43 and the springs again adjusted after the machine has been moved to its new position. In normal operation the angle of inclination of the projection machine remains practically constant, hence adjustment as above described is only required at infrequent intervals. On the other hand, it is frequently desirable' to change the position `of the lamp house, as for example, for shifting f-rom moving pictures to still pictures. It is evident, therefore, that a single adjustment of the springs 55 may bc retained over a comparativelylong period of time. ,f j

A 'simplified form of spring retainer is -shown in Figs. 3 and 4- comprising a bar 65 provided with a circular bore at the twov ends thereof for engaging rods 43. Set screws 66 may be threaded into circular ends of bar to bear against rods' 43 for securing the parts against relative movement. Springs 55 may be adjusted by forcing b ar 65 downwardly until the desired compression has been obtained.` Set screws 66 are then tightened for locking the parts in the desired position.

ln cease it is then impractical tol manually compress springs 65 by the desired amount,

the result mayY be accomplished by raising lamp house'33 by pivoting frame aboutpedestal 22 thereby kraising the rear bracing frame 'and moving rods 43'upwardl`y. Cross bar 65.1nay then be pressed against springs 55 and secured, andthe entire frame again lowered, thus compressing the springs.

i further modified form of spring adjusting means is shown in Fig. 14. Rod 67- of that figure is shown as provided with threads 68"which ane'engaged by nuts 69. Spring retension member 70 engages the lower face of said nuts and is provided with a recess 71 in which spring 55 is seated. Adjustment is obtained by turning nut 69 whereby retaining member 70 is forced upwardly or downwardly by the required amount.

A further construction which may be employed for facilitating the transverse movement of the lamp house and preventing the weight) of the bracing frame. from causing the same to bind, is shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13 as comprising a bracket 75 secured to lamp house base 3l. Said bracket-is provided with downwardly extending arms 76 into which a plurality of rollers 77 are journaled. Said rollers are suitably located for engaging rod 42" and allowing lamp house to roll thereon. An intermediate split collar 78 is formed on bracket and the two ends thereof threaded to receive the clamping screw 79. The lamp house may thus be secured in its desired position by tightening screw 7 9 and causing split collar to firmly grip rod 42. By this construction rod 42 is prevented from binding as a result of any moment which is caused by the center of gravity of the bracing frame being offset from the center of the lamp house. Furthermore, the friction of the lamp house bracket on rod 42 is considerablyA reduced by the elimination of the sliding surfaces.

Machines constructed asrabove have been found to operate in an improved manner. The supporting springs not only serve to take the weight of the bracing. frame for facilitating lateral adjustment of the lamp house, but they also operate within a limited range of movement to relie/ve a portion of the weight of the machine from adjusting screw 44. When springs 55 are adjusted to support a portion of the unbalanced weight of the machine in addition to that of the bracing frame, it has been found that the force required to angularly adjust the machine by means of hand Wheel 39 is greatly reduced, and the operator is able to more accurately and easily control the machine. By clamping the various parts when the machine is in use, such as the extensible supportingl frame, the lamp house supporting bracket. the lamp house supporting web and adjusting screw, vibrations, are reduced to a minimum while the advantages of easy adjustment are still obtained.

@Vhile certain novel features of the invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will bevention.

HWhat is'elaimedis: 1. lin combination with a motion picture projection machine, a lamp house base, means for -pivotally supporting said base, an adjustable frame associated therewith, said frame comprising a pair of telescoping members, springs mechanically interconnecting said members, means for adjusting the tension of said springs comprising a member slidably engaging one of said telescoping members, and a second member threaded thereon and having means associated therewith forl seatving said spring.

2. In a motion picture machine, a base, a pedestal vmounted on said base, a pedestal lever pivotally carried on said pedestal'and an extensible bracing frame extending be-y tween said pedestal leverand said base` said base, pedestal, pedestal lever and frame form- Y ing a quadrilateral, said lever having a vertical pivot to permit lateral shifting of a lamp house, and means for supporting a portion of the weight of said frame independently of said lever when said lamp house is being shifted whereby extensible movement ,of said frame is facilitated."

3.111 a Aprojection vmachine, a pedestal lever having supports thereon for a projec- 'v one of said sections havin a transverse rod Ntion head and a lamp house, a pedestal sup- L porting said lever adjacent said projection head 4support, means for shifting said lever laterally `about a vertical axisfor effecting lateral adjustment of said lamphouse and an extensible bracing frame associated with f vsaid lever adjacent the amp houseysupport.

` and springsinterconnec ing the elements of said extensible frameior supporting a portion -v of the weight thereof during adjustments of the lamp"I house support which involve extension of said frame. c

4. In a' motiontpicturegmachine, a base carj 1living a pedestal, aF pedestal lever pivotally mounted on said pedestal, an extensible bracv ing frame having a pairlof slidable sections connected between said leverfand said base L and resilient means for substantially reliev-Y f ing the pedestal lever of the weight of one of said sections during Vadjustments of said macline Awhich requires extensible movement of said frame. v y

5; In a mot-ion picture machine, a base carrying a pedestal, a pedestal lever pivotally mounted on saidI pedestal, an extensible. bracing frame having a pair of slidable sections.

connected between sai'd lever'and said base, one of said sections having a transverse rod formed as a part thereof and cooperating with the vbracket secured ,to said pedestal and adapted to slide thereon, meansfor yclamping 4said bracket to said lrod inl any desired position and resilient means for substantially relieving said pedestal lever \0ne of s aid sections lduringadjstments requiring extensible movement of said frame. 6.- In a motion picture machine, a. base carrying a pedestal. a pedestal lever pivotally mounted n said pedestal, an extensible bracv ing frame having a pair of slidable sections connected between said leverandL said base,

ofthe weight of 

